Faces In The Rain
by Aby'n'Marc
Summary: Elizabeth 'Tease' Willams can't remember her childhood and is shunned by the Brooklyn newsies after a bad run-in with Spot Conlon. A mysterious boy trys to jog her memory...but who is this Snap?
1. Snap

Disclaimer-I don't own any of the characters from newsies though I wish I did own one in particular (Spot). But, until that's legal, he's staying tied to my wall.  
  
Monday's child is fair of face,  
  
Tuesday's child is full of grace;  
  
Wednesday's child is full of woe,  
  
Thursday's child has far to go;  
  
Friday's child is loving and giving,  
  
Saturday's child works hard for its living;  
  
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day  
  
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.  
  
The old rhyme hummed in Elizabeth's head. The one's her mother used to sing to her as she lay in the canopy bed.  
  
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess  
  
They all went together to seek a bird's nest, They found a bird's nest with five eggs in, They all took one, and left four in.  
  
But she was far from that now. She sat cold in an alley, an experienced pickpocket. Across the street three boys with newspapers glanced at her.  
  
"Hey Shoot, who's dat goil? What's she doin' heah?"  
Shoot looked up. "Dat's Tease. Not ta go ovah ya authority but I'd stay away from her."  
Ace glanced over Spot and Shoot who were conversing over the girl. "She's only been dere 'bout a day now. She'll leave."  
"I don't care. She shouldn't be dere anyway. I'm goin ovah ta see her."  
Spot jogged over and sat down next to her. "Ya know where ya are Tease?"  
"How do you know my name?"  
"I'se got connections. Ya in Brooklyn."  
"Who gives a shit?"  
"I do. I'm da leadah heah an ya can't be heah without me permission."  
"Oh really? Well I don't care."  
"Where ya stayin'?"  
"Where I fall asleep."  
He knew he couldn't bring a girl into the Lodging house like that but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. She would get killed out here. "Ya can come back wit me."  
"Look, Spot. I know who you are. I know you reputation and I'm not going to be your whore. Sorry."  
Spot grabbed her arm. "Fine. Ya wanna play dat way. Be me guest. Ya still heah tomorrow an' I'll send Ace ta get rid of ya."  
"Oh I'm scared."  
"Ya should be."  
"Well I'm not. Go away."  
Spot glared. "Ya don't talk ta me like dat!"  
"I do."  
He stood up and smashed a crate with his cane. It sent an entire stack tumbling down on Tease as he walked away.  
  
Tease pushed the boxes away from her and tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder. Her dark green eyes blazed with Irish fire as she stared after the blue-eyed boy.  
  
Rain, rain go away. Come again another day...  
  
Her brother and sister's voices called to her as tears stung her cheeks. "Life is to cruel."  
"Dat it is Bethy."  
She snapped her head around. "Who are you? How the hell do you know my name?"  
"Ya don't remember?"  
"No. I remember very little anymore. Only little things like my mother's rhymes and my brother and sister singing to the rain. I don't even remember what their names were. Not since..."  
"Since ya muddah left ya dat day? Ya shut da woild out. I know."  
"Who are you?"  
"Da name's Snap. When ya figure out who I am, dat rain ya talk about might just go away."  
"What...?"  
He disappeared into the alley and as much as she looked for him for two hours, he wasn't there. He was gone. She sat back down.  
"Snap...Snap...Snap...how do I know you?"  
She didn't remember anything before her twelfth birthday except for the rhymes and the songs. The faces and names were shadowy. "Snap...Snap...Snip...Snoop...SAM! Sammy! That was his name."  
But who's name? She didn't know. All she really realized was that she knew a boy named Samuel. How she derived that from Snap, she didn't know. His face was fixed in her memory forever though. His dark brown hair and blue eyes...what a mystery. Snap...she'd have to ask a newsie tomorrow. 


	2. Memories of Fire

Disclaimer-As I said before, don't own this movie. A/N-Splashey, Snap is not God. Sorry.  
  
Tease sat up from under the shawl she slept under. The newsies were across the street at their distribution office and one with black hair approached her. "Heya Tease! Ya bettah get outta heah! Spot sent me ta 'remove' ya from Brooklyn."  
"So you're Ace? I'll leave but answer me a question?"  
"Sure why not?"  
"Is there a newsie named Snap?"  
"Snap...sure is. He's in Manhattan."  
Tease stood up. "Thanks. I'll be going now."  
"Wait...Spot didn't talk about nothin' but you last night. If ya evah need a place ta stay...or anuddah job oddah den being a pickpocket, come ta us. I can get ya in. Spot's me bruddah."  
Tease smiled. "Maybe I will..." At that she turned on her heel and ran toward Manhattan.  
Halfway there she smacked right into Oscar Delancey. "Heya goily. Where ya goin' so fast?"  
"Manhattan. Let go of me."  
Morris smirked. "No way dat's gonna happen." He pushed her into an alley and slammed her against the wall.  
"You had better let go of me! I have connections that would kick your ass for this!"  
"Oh really? Like who?"  
"Like...Brooklyn!"  
"Da person or da place?" Oscar laughed.  
"Both!"  
"Well how ya gonna get Spot now? Or Ace for dat mattah?"  
Tease screamed as loud as she could but was quickly silenced by a hand clamping over her mouth.  
"Now whatcha gonna do?"  
Someone behind the Delanceys grabbed Oscar's shoulder and spun him around. There was a crunch of Oscar's nose braking and a flash of blue eyes. Morris turned around to receive a similar punch. Both boys ran. Tease looked up at her rescuer. Spot.  
"Hey. I heard ya scream. Ya lucky too."  
She stood up. "Thanks...I guess." She had been hoping those blue eyes would be Snap's but anyone who could scare the Delanceys like that was worthy of her time.  
"Take me up on da offer?"  
"What offer?"  
"Comin' ta stay wit us."  
  
"Sure why not. If I get into more trouble you won't be around to save me."  
"I'm always around. C'mon. I gotta go ta Manhattan."  
  
Spot led her down the streets of New York to Manhattan. The newsies were gathering at a small restaurant called Tibby's. Spot approached a boy with dishwater blonde hair and a cowboy hat. "Heya Jacky-boy."  
Tease ignored the conversation and scanned the crowd for Snap. He was nowhere in sight. "Jack, is it?" She asked the boy.  
He smiled. "Yeah."  
"Do you have a newsie named Snap?"  
  
"Sure do. He's right dere." Jack pointed to a table in the corner where an Italian boy, a boy with an eye patch, and one with soft curly brown hair sat with another newsie. He had dark brown hair and when he looked up and caught Tease's eye, he frowned. "Elizabeth? What are ya doin' heah?!" He stood up and walked toward her.  
"Who is Sam?"  
Snap smirked. "Well ya figured out me name. Now who am I really? Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Do ya remember me Bethy?"  
She stared at his blue eyes and then closed her own.  
  
_"C'mon Bethy! Sing with us!" Her brother's voice sifted through her thoughts. His face was blurred though.  
"Ring around the rosie..." Her sister taunted. "Sam! Swing with me!"  
_  
"SAM!" Her eyes opened. "How old are you Snap?"  
"Fourteen."  
"I'm seventeen...you...where have you been?!"  
He smirked. "Heah. So ya know who I am? I been followin' you around for a long time, Beth. Hopin' you'd see me but ya didn't. So I tried to jog ya memory..."  
  
_ "Say say my playmate. Come out and play with me..." She could almost feel her sister's hands smack her own. "Mary, Mary quite contrary...how does your garden grow?"  
"Stop it Elizabeth! That is not funny!"  
"Girls, come now. Be nice," Her mother's soft voice filled her mind. She turned around.  
"Mama! Come back! Stay here with us!"  
_  
Tease's eyes filled with tears. "Where is Mary?"  
"She died in da fire wit Mama, Beth."  
Spot's hand rested on her shoulder now. "Tease? You okay?"  
She backed up. "They're all dead. My whole family is dead and I didn't know it!"  
Spot stepped forward and caught her as she backed away. "Hey its awright."  
"No...! No...no...no." She collapsed and Spot pulled her up.  
Snap knelt next to her. "Elizabeth! C'mon! Its Sammy. Wake up."  
Her eyes opened. "Snap...where's Dad?"  
"He nevah came home...Mary lived for about a day and half...den she died. She was so burnt Bethy she might as well have died immediately. I kinda wish she had."  
Tease shut her eyes. How strange all this was. Spot Conlon was being nice to her and she had found Sammy...or Sammy had found her. It didn't make much sense, but hey, what did in life?  
  
_Rain, Rain go away. Come again another day._


	3. Arson

Disclaimer-I didn't steal the newsies! I swear I would never take Gabriel Damon captive and hide him in my closet! Who would do that? ::suspicious face:: A/N-Oh my God! It's an update!  
  
Tease was sitting up in a bed in Brooklyn Lodging House. Everyone was dead. Her mother, Mary...the fire took them...her father had never come home. Samuel was in Manhattan and always had been. How many times had she looked at those boys as they bought papers and never noticed her brother? Now that she thought about, she blamed herself. She had shut down the day of the fire. She didn't even remember it anymore. She knew she had left...walked away, and ended up in Queens.  
  
Hush little baby, don't say a word.  
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird,  
And if that Mockingbird don't sing...  
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.  
  
Memories of her mother singing that to Sam as he fell asleep haunted her mind. 'How could I have left Sam?' She thought. 'I left him all alone with a dying Mary.'  
Elizabeth closed her eyes and lay back down. She had to sell tomorrow and Spot would be angry if she couldn't.  
  
"Get up Tease!" Spot grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out of the bed. "Ya gotta sell!"  
She groaned and smacked at him until he let go. "I'm up!"  
Spot rolled his eyes. "Sure ya are. Get ya ass up!"  
She stood and slipped her suspenders back over her shoulders. Then she grabbed her gray cabby hat and ran down the steps, out the door to the distribution office.  
Tease had seen the boys sell before so improving the truth was really no problem for her. There was a story about a girl being kidnapped which she turned into, "Brutal Murder on da train tracks. Girl's rottin' corpse found!"  
Her fifty papes were gone by lunch and that left her time to see Snap. He was sitting on a crate focused intently on a man strolling through New York traffic. "Snap? You awright?"  
His head shot up and he smiled. "Yeah I'se fine Beth. Just watchin'."  
"Who was dat?"  
"Who? Who was who?"  
"Dat man you was watchin'!"  
"Don't know what ya talkin' 'bout."  
She frowned. He knew what she was talking about but he didn't want to say it. "Awright Sam. If you were in trouble ya'd tell me right?"  
"Yeah, yeah sure..."  
She sat down next to him. "So how'd ya end up a newsie, Sam?"  
He smiled. "Aftah Mary died I got da neighbors an' told 'em dere was a fire at me house an' dat I'd meet 'em dere but I nevah did. I just left, walkin' in da same direction you did. I ended up in Queens and Jacky boy was a newsie dere before he was here. He found me an' I been a newsie since den."  
His sister smirked. "Sounds like life has treated ya pretty good?"  
"It was bettah wit Mama..."  
"Everything was."  
"Elizabeth...I nevah found Mama's body."  
Tease's eyes widened. "What do ya think happened? It couldn't a' burned all da way, could it?"  
"I don't think so...I mean, Beth, dere was nothin'! Only Mary cryin' in da frame of da closet. I picked her up an' her skin stuck ta my clothes when I put her down on da grass..."  
Tease gagged. "Oh Sammy..."  
"Listen Beth! She was sayin' somethin 'bout Dad bein in da city. She was babblin' 'bout Mama too. Said she wasn't dere. I thought she was crazy even though she was older den me."  
"So Mama wasn't in da house? Where was she?"  
"I don't know Beth! She ain't dead...she wasn't dere...she nevah was..." He ran his hands through his hair. "Why'd she leave me?"  
"I don't know..." She tried to put her arm over Sam's shoulder but he stood up.  
"No! Why'd you leave me?! Ya just ran off when ya saw Mary! Ya didn't even stop ta see if she was alive! Ya didn't care! You killed Mary!"  
Elizabeth took a step backward. "I nevah touched Mary! I nevah killed no one!"  
Snap was backing away. "Ya set da house on fire! You were playin' wit Mama's candles an' ya set da house on fire!"  
"I nevah touched Mama's candles! I nevah killed no one..." Elizabeth was crying by then and she took one last look at her younger brother before running to Brooklyn.  
  
Spot was on the porch of the Lodging house when she ran up the steps and past him. He saw the tears on her cheeks and followed. "Tease! Tease wait up!" He caught her arm.  
"Let go a' me, Spot!"  
"What happened? Why ya cryin'?"  
  
"Nothin' happened!"  
"Somethin' did an' I'm gonna find out from me boidies anyway so ya bettah just tell me."  
"Sam said I caught da house on fire when it killed me family."  
"Why would ya do dat?"  
"He said I was playin' wit candles. My Mama's candles because she wasn't home. He said she ain't dead. She an' me faddah ain't dead. I didn't kill no one Spot!"  
His head was spinning. "No, of course ya didn't." He placed an arm over her shoulders. "Ya didn't kill no one." But a headline from his first day as a newsie burnt in his mind. 'House fire kills 10-year-old girl. Arson suspected.'  
Elizabeth was shaking and it was beginning to annoy Spot. He lean forward and kissed her. She froze. "Y-y-you just kissed me!"  
"Yeah I did. So what?"  
Elizabeth turned around and locked herself in her room without a word. Spot smirked. It wasn't something you got to do everyday...kiss a murderer. 


End file.
